Undergarment.



Patented lan. 30, |900. H.' E. HILL.

UNDERGARMENT.

(Application filed. Max'. 16, 1898.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I'.

(No Model.)

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Patented 1an. so, |900. H. E. HELL. UNDERGAHMENT.

(Application lsd Mar. 16, 1898.)

4 Sheets Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

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UNDERGARMENT.

(Application iled Mar. 18, 189B.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

l(No Model.)

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il'nTThn STATns PATENT @r1-Ica ItOMULUS E. HILL, OF VVATSEKA, ILLINOIS.

UNDERGARNI ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,227', dated January 30, 1900.

Application led March 16, 1898. Serial No. 674,051. (N0 model.)

To all zuil/0m 'llt may concern.'

Be it known that I, RoMULUs E. HILL, of "Watseka, in the county of Iroquois and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Undergarments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

rlhis invention relates to improvements in undergarm ents of that kind known as unionsuits, or those in which the body and leg portions are permanently connected with each other. Certain of the improvements herein described may, however, be applied to drawers.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l shows a garment constructed in accordance with my invention as viewed from the rear. Fig. 2 is a front view of the middle portion of the garment, showing my invention as applied thereto. Figs. 3 and d are views of the sections which are inserted to give the necessary fulness to the garment about the hips. Fig. o' shows the iiat web from which the main portion of the garment is made. Fig. 6 is a front view of a garment, showing other features of improve.

ment. Fig. 7 is a similar view with parts thereof in changed position. Figs. 8 and 9 are details of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

As shown in said drawings, Figs. I to 5, A designates the upper or body portion of the garment, and B B the lower or leg portions The web comprising the main portion of the garment is in the particular construction shown composed of one piece, said web being shown in Fig. 5 as spread out in order to show the conformation thereof. Such main part may, however, be made of several pieces, properly joined, if desired. The web is made of considerable width at the middle portion thereof to give the necessary fulness about the hips, and the margins a of said web are slightly inclined toward each other at the upper end thereof to give the garment the desired shape at the upper or bust portion of the garment when said margins are brought together. The margins l) b of the leg portions B B, on the opposite sides thereof, are similarly inclined to give the required taper to the legs when said margins are brought together to give tubular form to said parts. The p0rtion A of the web is provided at its upper end with notches ct, which form the armholes of the body portion when thc margins a are brought together. Said margins o, are adapted to be brought together on the front side thereof from the upper end or neck portion to the point a2, between which points said margins are adapted to be connected by means of buttons and buttouholes or other suitable fastening devices. The opposite margins of the leg portions are united upon the inner side of the leg by seams b b', which extend from the lower ends thereof to points b2 b2 adjacent to the upper ends of the leg portions, above which point the opposite margins of the leg portions are secured to the opposite edges of inserted pieces or sections which are of such conformation as to give the proper shape to the garment at this point, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The web is provided between its side margins in that part forming the rear portion of the garment with an elongated notch A', the side margins a3 a3 of which extend from the points b2 b2 on the inner side of the leg portion to a point a4 in the rear portion of the garment.

C designates two separate strips or sec tions which are inserted by being attached to the garment along the margins a3 of the notch A. Said strips C are shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4 and are made of considerably greater length than width. They are provided with parallel or approximately par allel side margins c c, which extend throughout the greater portion of the length of the sections, and are provided at their upper ends with inclined margins c' c', which intersect to form salient points at the extreme upper ends thereof. In the lower ends of said sections they are provided with two down- Wardly-tapering extensions C C2, separated by notches, the extensions O2 being of slightlygreater length than the extensions Cand being of triangular form. The outer margins of the extensions C' are formed in continuation of the margins c of the main portions of the sections, while the outer margins of the IOO extensions C2 are inclined toward the median lines of the sections and constitute oblique margins c2, which intersect the inner margin of said projection to form a salient point at the extreme lower ends of the sections. The inner and outer margins of the extensions C do not intersect; but said extensions are each provided in the lower end thereof with two tapered parts or points c3 c3, which are separated by a slit or notch. Said sections C are of a length from the extreme upper ends thereof to the points of the projections C2 equal to the distance between the point a4 at the upper end of the notch A and the points b2 at the upper end of the seams b' b of the leg portions. Each of said sections is attached to the garment by being sewed along the margins c c c2 to the margins of the notch at the rear portion of the garment from said point a4 to the point b2 on that side of the garment. The inclined portions c' of the sections are attached to that portion of the notch A between the points a4 a5 on both sides thereof, so that the upper ends of said sections form a doubled or overlapped insertion or gore between the margins of the upper portion of the notch. The portions of the margins of the sections on that side opposite the margins at which they are attached to the garment and between the intersection of the oblique margins c and the margin c and a point in said margin c opposite the inner end of the notch which separates the projections C C2are left free, as more clearly shown in Fig. l. The free margins of said sections overlap each other between the points mentioned and serve to permit the garment to stretch to give the necessary fullness about the hips. The inner margins of the triangular extensionsl C2 are attached to t-he adjacent front margin of the leg portions by seams 3, said inner margins of the extensions being of a length to extend from the point b2 to the crotch of the garment. The extensions C2 form, in elfect, gores, which are inserted into the upper part of the seam of the leg portion and Awhich serve to give the necessary fullness to that part of the garment below the crotch or the upper part of the leg.

The extensions C of the sections C are carried forward through the crotch of the garment and are attached by seams b4 b4 at their opposite side margins to the adjacent side margins b of the leg, so as to join the upper margins of said leg portions and close the garment at the region of the crotch. points c3 c3 are secured to the side margins of the body part of the garment, the slit or notch between the same forming a downward continuation of the opening at the front of the garment. The margins at the lower end of the front opening of the garment are shown as provided with a binding-strip at, which serves to protect the edges of said parts. The

extensions C' of each of the sections are overlapped one upon the other and are secured The by the same seams to the margins I) of the frontpart of the garment, so that said extensions constitute overlapping or double connecting-webs between the upper edges of the leg portions of the garment. This construction affords great strength at this point and insures that said parts will be retained in their proper form and relation.

An important advantage gain ed by the use of the extensions C', forming overlapping connecting-webs which are attached at their opposite edges to the margins of the leg portions of the garment at the crotch or to the parts which join said margins, is that the margins of the garment are permanently connected together and closed at this point. Heretofore in garments having an overlapping construction in the rear portion it has been necessary to provide the margins of the front opening with buttons and buttonholes or other fastening devices at the crotch in order to fully close said front opening, which has always been an objectionable feature in such garments.

A further and important advantage of the construction shown in which the garment is closed in front of and below the crotch is that said closed portion prevents contact of the outer garments of the wearer lagainst the person, which has always been an objectionable feature in garments having an opening in the rear covered by overlapping flaps. This is especially advantageous in mens garments, as it effectively prevents contact of the trousers with the body of the wearer at the crotch.

Another important advantage gained by the use of the inserted parts or extensions of the section C is that they give a permanent form to this portion of the garment, which prevents the same from being distorted or drawn out of shape, as in prior garments having the feature of overlapping parts at the rear of the garment. Moreover, the overlapping arrangement of the projections C,which are secured at both margins thereof to the leg portions, gives great additional strength and durability at the part where it is most needed. The feature of the overlapping parts or projections C", which are attached at their opposite margins to the margins of the front opening of the garment, in connection with the overlapping flaps forming the rear opening of the garment, may be employed as well in a nether garment which Ais made separate from the upper or shirt portion, as in a combination-garment. The construction in garments having overlappin g rear portions, as described, embracing inserted webs or pieces which join the leg portions thereof in the region of the crotch is believed to be novel in itself and is made the subject of claims without restriction to the particular construction herein shown.

In Figs. 6, 8, and 9 is shown a further and separate improvement in garments of the class described. The construction shown in said IIO IZO

figures is designed' for mens wear and is closed at its front portion from a point above the crotch (indica-ted by a5) to a point adjacent to the collar A'1 of the garment. The main portion of the body of the garment will desirably be made in tubular form, and the rear portion of the garment and the inserted pieces C are made and arranged as in the oonstruction previously described. Between the upper ends of the extensions C of the insert ed pieces and the point ain the front part of the garment is formed a vertical slit or opening located centrally of the garment. To the edges of said slit is attached a collar or band I), which is made of a single strip of matel terial, secured to the margins of the slit in such manner as to project outwardly therefrom when spread apart or opened. The ends of the band are preferably tapered to tit into the upper end of the slit in overlapped relation. One side margin d of the collar or band is joined to the margins of the slit by a seam d', while the other or outer margin d2 is left free. Preferably the tapered ends of the said collar or band overlap each other and are secured along their tapered portions to the opposite margins of the slit from the point a7 to the point ab', the margin cl2 thereof being left free between the points a7. One side of the said collar normally overlaps and lies flat upon the other side, so as to close the slit, as shown in Fig. 6. The collar D is so set in place that it tends to normally-close when the overlapping free edge thereof is released and so that when folded flat it will entirely close the opening.

As a further and separate improvement I have shown in Figs. G and 7a garment which is provided with a transverse opening at its upper end instead of a vertical opening and have shown a novel arrangement of the parts for closing said opening. The shoulder and neck portions of the front of the garment are formed by two lateral flaps A2 A2, to which the collar A4 is secured, the inner edges of which flaps are brought together centrally of the front portion of the body and secured to gether by detachable fastening devices, as buttons and buttonholes a3. The lower margins of said flaps extend to the armpits of the garment, and between said fiaps and the main portion of the front of the garment is provided a transverse opening A3, which extends across the front of the garment between the inner ends of the sleeves. The front part of the garment below said opening is extended upwardly in the form of a flap A5, which is adapted to overlap said lateral flaps A2 and to be detachably secured thereto to close said opening. Said flap A5 is preferably tapered toward its upper end and is curved at its upper end to fit around the collar A4. The inclined margins of the liap are shown as provided with buttonholes, which engage obliquely-arranged buttons al on the lateral flap, by which the flap A5 is secured in its closed position. The middle portion of the curved upper end of the lap is attached to one of the buttons as, which joins the lateral iiap.

As a further and separate improvement the flap A5 is adapted to be secured tothe lateral lHap at varying distances from the collar A4, thereby permitting the length of said garment between the collar and crotch thereof to be varied. As herein shown, said iiaps are provided with a second set of buttons @11,10- cated below the first set d10, to which the flap is adapted to be secured in the manner shown in Fig. 7 when it is desired to increase the length of the garment. This feature of my invention is important, as it permits the garment to be fitted accurately to the person and prevents the same from binding the region of the crotch.

I claim as my inventionl. A garment provided at its rear with two overlapping flaps, each of which is provided at its lower end with two extensions, one of which is pointed and is secured in the inner seam of the leg, and the other of which is exten ded forward between the upper margins of the leg portions of the garment, in overlapped relation to the corresponding extension upon the other flap, and is secured at both of its side margins to the said leg portions of the garment.

2. A garment comprising a main or body part and two pieces which are inserted in the rear of the garment; said inserted pieces being overlapped at both their upper and lower ends, and each of said pieces being provided at its lower end with two extensions, one of which is pointed and extends into the inner leg-seam of the garment, and the other of which extends forward between the edges of the main parts of the garment at the crotch, and is attached at both edges to said main parts7 in overlapped relation to the corresponding extension upon the other inserted piece.

3. A garment for males, the leg portions of which are joined at the crotch and which is closed in front above the crotch, said garment being provided in its front portion with a vertical slit or opening, a band secured at one edge to the edges of said slit or opening and surrounding the same in the form of a collar, the free edges of said band being adapted to overlap each other to close said slit or opening' and to be projected outwardly to open the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 5th day of March, A. D. 1898.

ROMULUS E. IIILL.

Witnesses:

JAMES O. BAILEY, O. L. CLARK.

IOO 

